The present invention relates to a method for measuring a concentration of a solute dissolved in a solution to be detected, and more particularly to a method for measuring a concentration of protein and that of any optical active substance other than protein.
As a conventional method for measuring a concentration of protein, there has been a method in which trichloroacetic acid is mixed in a solution to be detected to coagulate protein, thereby opacifying the solution, and the protein concentration is determined from the resulting turbidity. However, with such method, it is difficult to stably opacify the solution to be detected at a temperature of 25° C. or higher. Therefore, it is sometimes impossible to carry out the measurement at a temperature of 25 to 40° C., which is a normal ambient temperature at home.
As a conventional apparatus for urinalysis, there has been an apparatus in which a test paper or the like impregnated with a reagent is dipped in a urine, and a color reaction thereof is observed by a spectroscope or the like to detect the components of the urine. The test papers used herein have been required to be individually produced according to respective inspection items such as glucose and protein.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to solve the above problem. Namely, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for measuring a protein concentration, which is highly stable and easy to maintain and manage at a temperature of 0 to 40° C., or an ambient temperature at home, and a reagent to be used therefor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for enabling a simple and highly accurate urinalysis.